What Could Have Been
by MissSlytherinxoxo
Summary: At the wedding of Scorpius Malfoy and Rose Weasley, Hermione finds herself talking to the most unlikely of people...


**Hi there! For those of you who don't know me, my name is Jill. So, i have recently been going through some writer's block both in my other fic and in something else i am working on. So, i tried to cure my writer's block by reading fanfiction and getting some inspiration. And i did! However, not in the way i was hoping for.**

 **The fic i was reading is called _Eyelashes_ by _Craft Rose_ and it is an exceptional story. It's a Scorose fic. I had been meaning to read it for weeks but i only did last night and, honestly, it changed my mind about a few things, like Scorose in general. I never used to like the ship, but now i love it! It also made me like Dramione a lot less and appreciate Romione more. Crazy how that happens. **

**Anyway, i got the idea for this little story while reading Eyelashes last night at 3am-technically morning, i know. I have taken absolutely nothing from _Craft Rose_ 's fic, promise. I just had this idea while reading it. This isn't even a Scorose story... Anyway, please enjoy, i wrote/edited it all withing the last few hours.**

 **Disclaimer: Jo hasn't written anything after '19 Years Later,' which means that the only things that aren't mine are the characters and where it takes place. Everything else, i can happily say, i mine!**

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Hermione was always fussing. She had fussed about Rose's dress before the young Weasley had gone down the aisle. She had fussed with Ron's hair before he had walked Rose down the aisle. She had fussed with every flower arrangement because "none of them are right." She had fussed with the food that "wasn't laid out right." She fussed with the centerpieces at the table because "they weren't big enough."

Maybe she liked fussing. Maybe she liked having something to do because, in reality, Rose's dress had been perfect and Ron's hair had never been neater and the flower arrangements were exactly what they had wanted and the food was laid out just fine and the centerpieces were the perfect size.

Maybe she fussed when she was excited, or nervous, or swelling with pride. She was all of these things so there was no telling what caused the fussing, but the first time she stopped was when the dancing started.

They had chosen the Burrow to have Rose and Scorpius's wedding because it was tradition, cheap, fun, and there were no muggles to muck it up. They had a large tent over the freshly cut grass that served as a place to dance and eat. The tent was open on three sides because of the warm,

spring air and the beautiful scenery around the Burrow.

Hermione stood on a small slope and watched as people started to dance. She smiled and remembered her wedding here, and Harry's and Ginny's, and Percy's and Audrey's, and George's and Angelina's, and Bill and Fluer's. There were so many beautiful memories here; she was happy Rose and Scorpius wanted to get married here.

Hermione was interrupted from her thoughts by a low, drawling voice saying, "Hello, Granger."

Hermione looked to see Draco Malfoy standing next to her, arms crossed, a small smile on his lips as he looked at Hermione's stunned expression.

Hermione mentally shook herself. She knew Draco and his wife would be coming and she expected that, at _one_ point, she would have to say at _least_ a hello to him. However, she never expected him to come up to her and talk to her. And still call her Granger. She hadn't been referred to by that name—either purposely or accidentally—in years. She cleared her thoughts and offered a small smile in an effort to not show how surprised she was.

"Draco Malfoy," Hermione greeted, her voice reflecting a little bit of shock.

"In the flesh," he said. "Surprised I came?"

"No, no," Hermione said, slowly. "It's not that. I expected you to come—Scorpius _is_ your son—but I never expected you to _talk_ to me."

"Well," Draco said, looking away, "it's not like we're enemies."

"I suppose," Hermione said thoughtfully. "Still, it's not like we were ever _friends._ Or like we ever liked each other. _"_

Draco looked at her with a small smile on his face. Hermione looked up at him and frowned. "What?" she asked.

"Did you know that there's a muggle theory," Draco said, "about multiple dimensions. That there are different versions of us running around and doing things.

Hermione blinked. "Um, yeah? So?"

"Well, I really want to believe that there is a Draco Malfoy out there without a Lucius Malfoy in his life. I really want to believe that he took his chance when he had it."

"What chance?" Hermione asked, becoming more and more confused with every word.

"My chance with you," Draco said, looking down at her.

Hermione tipped mentally. _What?!_ Did he just say what Hermione thought he just said? "I had no idea that you…"

"Fancied you?" Draco finished for her. "I guess I hid it well."

"Draco," Hermione said, shaking her said, "I never fancied you."

"No," Draco agreed, laughing slightly. "But maybe you could've. Maybe, if things had been less… _horrible_ , then maybe I at least would have had a fighting chance."

Hermione couldn't believe what she was hearing. It made her think about what would have happened without Voldemort or Lucius.

"But," Draco said, interrupting his thoughts. "It's been a long time since I fancied you, Granger. Weasley has nothing to worry about. He's a lucky man." Draco looked over at Ron, who was dancing with Rose.

Hermione followed his gaze. Ron was saying things to make Rose laugh and they were both clumsily moving around the dance floor. Hermione smiled at the sight. "I'm a lucky woman," she said.

Draco smiled at that. Then said, suddenly, "I'm the one who encouraged him."

"What?" Hermione asked.

"Scorpius," Draco clarified. "I told him to be friends with Rose. And when he said he fancied her, I told him to go for it."

"Why?" Hermione asked, mostly out of curiosity.

"Because I didn't get a chance," Draco said. "He did. And he didn't deserve to lose her like I did."

"You can't lose something you never had," Hermione said curtly.

Draco laughed at that. She was still the same. "No, but you can lose the chance to have something worthwhile."

"A person isn't a thing to own," Hermione said.

"No, no it isn't. But a relationship with a beautiful person _is_ a thing, and that is worth more than all the galleons in the world. And to have that is quite an incredible feat," Draco mused.

"Where was this Draco Malfoy in school?" Hermione laughed.

Draco rubbed a hand over where his Dark Mark had been. "He was hiding," Draco said, darkly.

Hermione noticed his movements and saw that the Dark Mark was something different. "May I ask?" Hermione said, nodding at his arm.

"Oh," Draco said, taking his hand away and pushing up his sleeve slightly. "I went to this muggle tattoo artist and got it changed into something less… horrible. It actually hurt worse than getting the Dark Mark."

"It's a caduceus," Hermione said. Draco smiled and nodded. "But, if you don't mind my asking, why?"

"The caduceus is a symbol for the Greek god Hermes," Draco said.

"Yes, I know," Hermione said, not to be rude but just because she _did_ know. "But why Hermes?"

Draco looked at her and smirked for a few long moments. "It's been nice seeing you again, Granger. Maybe we'll see each other at the next gigantic family gathering," he said, looking around at Rose's extremely large family.

Draco started to walk away, but stopped and turned when Hermione called out, "Wait, Draco! I'm not 'Granger' anymore. Why do you still call me that?"

Draco shrugged. "A few reasons. Force of habit, you still look like a Granger, it suits you, it's fun to do it, and—probably the main reason—the only name I will ever accept you taking is Malfoy."

With that he turned, his robes sweeping about him and walked over to where Astoria was watching the dancing not far off.

He didn't mean that, Hermione knew. He didn't fancy her. He was just joking. She hoped he was just joking.

Hermione turned back to where Rose was now dancing with Scorpius. He swept her around gracefully, talking and laughing with her.

Hermione thought that, from far away, the couple did not look unlike herself and Draco. But they weren't her and Draco. They were different. Different because they got their chance. Maybe if Draco and her had gotten their chance—like he said—then history would have turned out different.

But as she saw Ron walking towards her, she smiled. She truly loved him. He stood next to her and draped an arm around her shoulders. "I'm so glad she said yes," Ron said.

Hermione laughed. "You threatened to kill him when they told us," she said.

"I know," Ron said. "But he's not too bad. And he cares about Rosie. That's all I ask."

"That and a billion other things," Hermione said.

"Well, if he weren't related to Malfoy I might be a little happier," Ron said, glancing over to where Draco and Astoria were talking.

"He's not so bad," Hermione said.

"I saw you and him talking," Ron said, a slight sharpness in his voice. "I would have been less surprised if Lucius Malfoy had come and congratulated Rose himself."

"Yes," Hermione laughed. "We were just talking about how things could have turned out differently. You know, with no Voldemort or Lucius Malfoy."

"And?" Ron asked.

Hermione looked up at him and smiled. "I am so happy with what I have, here and now. I wouldn't trade it for anything."

Ron grinned. "May I have this dance?" he asked, bowing and extending a hand to her.

Hermione placed her hand in his and said, "It would be my pleasure." As they walked down towards where other couples were now dancing, she thought.

Maybe things would have turned out differently, but there was no use thinking about what could have been—not when she had something so beautiful and so perfect here and now.

xoxo

As Draco walked up to Astoria she smiled at him. "I didn't see her hex you, so that's good," she said.

Draco smiled. "No, I wasn't hexed. She wasn't even mad at me or anything," Draco said.

"Good, glad you made a friend," Astoria joked.

"I wouldn't go that far, but we were civil, so that's good," Draco said.

They watched Scorpius twirl Rose and say something that she laughed at. "I'm so glad he found her," Astoria said.

"Yes," Draco agreed. "It's time the Malfoy name had some good associated with it. And all these people are insufferably good people."

Astoria laughed. "They really are a beautiful couple, aren't they?" she asked, referring to Scorpius and Rose

Draco looked over to where Hermione and Ron stood, watching the same thing that Astoria was watching. "Yes," he agreed. "But not as beautiful as them." He nodded towards Hermione and Ron, who were now starting to walk down to where everyone was dancing. Astoria watched them and smiled. "And," Draco continued, "neither is as beautiful of a couple as us."

Draco leaned down and kissed his wife.

Draco didn't fancy Hermione Granger anymore—he hadn't for a while. But he always thought about how things might have happened differently. How could he not?

But, here and now, Draco realized that he was done dwelling on what could have been.

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 **I realized at the end of this that this was a little bit of closure for me and one last goodbye to Dramione. Even though i still ship it, i just like Scorose so much more.**

 **Anyway, thank you so much for reading! Hope you enjoyed!**

 **~Jill**  
 **MissSlytherinxoxo**

 **XOXO**


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